Focus On… Rankings
At the time of writing this June 6th, 2022, I’m currently in Jeju, an Island off the coast of mainland Korea and so Focus On… Jeju will be released next week. Please enjoy this blog from my google doc vault.
Flashback to March 25, 2022
As light begins to flood into my dorm room, my grogginess begins to shift to a semi-awakeness that just barely lets me take my bonnet off and do a diluted version of my skincare routine. All that means is a splash of water on my face.
I gather my laptop and ipad and head to the lounge with the full intention of doing something academically driven. However, upon slowly losing myself into the comfiness that was the couch, I realized I had another episode of a show I’d been watching called Ranking of Kings. The anime follows the story of Boji whose birthright is to become King. However, because he is unable to speak,fight or resemble the likeness of his giant father, he is ridiculed by everyone. In watching this season finale, I felt so proud to have watched Boji transform from a shy kid to someone who shined regardless of the words of those around him. The show reminded me of the ways in which we can be discriminated against or judged by others in our world.
Simultaneously, in the US, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s confirmation hearing was a spectacle to be seen. Here we have the most qualified Supreme Court nominee in recent memory being berated by political party-serving questions. To see a Black woman be so overwhelmingly qualified treated in such a manner in the public sphere, only called to question the treatment of them behind closed doors. No matter the rankings we have in our lives, there will be those who seek to smear and belittle the hard work we have accomplished. Yes, I know this anime and real world occurrences are completely separate events. One fictional and one very,very real. However, does fiction not draw on real world feelings and events. As an onlooker of both I happen to think they have similarities and implications in my life.
Judge Ketanji and Boji both live in a world that judges them for their appearances and yet they rise above it. They do more than that-they ascend. It’s no wonder my eyes filled with a watery substance as I watched the last episode. I see myself in both Ketanji and Boji. The poise and composure of Kentaji at her confirmation hearing feels extremely similar to my lived experience in having to be extremely mindful of how I present myself because one slip up and you somehow confirm the world's already preconceived biases as to who you are. For Boji, I especially see the effort in having to be confident and believing in himself regardless of how the world fluctuates around him. If the only thing that is ever constant is you, you can never waver in the strength that comes from believing in oneself.
I carry the Rankings bestowed upon me with grace and courage. To be Black is a blessing, to be a foreigner in Korea is to be a blessing,most importantly to live the life I’ve been given and the people I meet along the way is something I’m truly grateful for.
